


lamentations of the soul

by chaara



Category: Now You See Me (Movies)
Genre: (mentioned) - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Relationships, F/M, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Suicidal Thoughts, none of the romantic relationships are explicitly stated but they're there, set before the sequel and after the first movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-13 23:29:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7142783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaara/pseuds/chaara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>the three remaining horsemen grieve over their lost member.</p>
            </blockquote>





	lamentations of the soul

**Author's Note:**

> so i just watched now you see me a couple days ago and i immediately adopted the four horsemen as my child. anyways the sequel came out but i haven't seen it yet so im taking artistic license abt what happens to henley and of course i picked the saddest option. once i see it i'll modify the tags accordingly. also i have no idea why my fics are so short lately im sorryyy  
> edit: i saw the sequel and it's soo good

Things change after Henley dies. At first, it's the obvious grief-the gaping hole where she used to exist. The remaining Horsemen get on with life, but it's obvious that life doesn't hold much enjoyment any more. 

After a while, things get better-Danny no longer forgets she's gone in the mornings, stumbling out expecting a cup of coffee pressed into his hand and a sharp sigh, signaling that he's overslept again-but there's still fresh wounds each day. The pain comes sharp and raw when Merritt tells some dirty joke and there's no burst of bright laughter from the corner of the room, where Henley would've sat, typing away at her laptop and pretending not to listen. It stings every day that Jack fails over and over at a new trick, getting more and more frustrated until he just wants to sit down and cry. He would never admit it to anyone else, this urge to just give up, but every time he fails he's reminded of how young and talentless he is compared to the rest of the group, and sometimes it just feels like too much to handle(when this happens his thoughts are a whirlwind of rooftops and ropes and that just makes him feel worse than ever). 

When Henley was still there, she always knew when he was just a hair shy of grabbing his jacket and running out the door. She was just there, a calm, comforting presence, in little ways and big ways both. Sometimes she would hand him a cup of his favourite mint tea. Sometimes she would take his hand and pull him into a little hug(just long enough for him to collect himself) and then she'd usher him into the kitchen and talk him into baking with her. 

There's a little reminder tucked into the happy moments, too. The little things hurt the most, really-like when they're all sitting around in the living room of their new apartment, laughing, tossing little harmless insults at each other. There always comes a moment when they remember that there should be a fourth voice among theirs-defusing the harsher insults, ocasionally deadpanning some one-liner, observing more than talking, learning their tone and body language. Henley always endeavoured to understand her companions completely-even from the beginning she was the glue holding the group together- and the reason why they didn't all murder each other in the first few months of their partnership. 

Some days it seems like Merritt is the one who's most affected-late at night the pain in his eyes is palpable, and he's a lot quieter these days. Though the others would never have said it, the room seems almost empty without Henley and Merritt's obnoxious flirting. 

Some days it seems like Danny is the one who's most affected. He knew Henley before anyone else, and though, really, he was a dick to her half the time, they always made up. They loved each other, in a way that was different from anything the others had seen-more than just loving each other, they _knew_ each other in a way the others didn't-though they tried to pretend they barely remembered anything about the other in the beginning, the way they orbited neatly around each other said otherwise. They both knew when to stop hurling insults, they both knew which jokes would actually hurt and which would glance right off. They even knew the most basic of things-Henley knew how Danny took his coffee, Danny knew what her favourite scent of cheap dollar store candles was. They clearly belonged together, and while the others in the group may have felt jealous of that connection at times, now that it was gone there was something _hollow_ in the way that Danny walked. 

Some days it seems like Jack is the one who's most affected. He didn't have a long history with Henley like Danny did and he didn't have the attraction that Merritt felt for her-but he was still just as close to her as any of the others. Jack had an intrinsic lack of care for himself-he would put other's lives above his own in any situation, and he often forgot to eat or drink. Henley, while she would've vehemently denied it, was a mothering friend. She had a way of doing it, though, that felt like simple friendship-a meal left on your bed when you forgot to eat, a reassuring pat on the shoulder when you felt down, a blanket pulled over you when you fell asleep on the couch. Most often, these little actions were directed towards Jack. 

In the end, they all suffer from her being gone in their own ways. But in the end, they all have to get over it and carry on with life. And by the time they return to the stage, they have to be on top of their game. So they start pushing the grief, the loneliness, the tears away, and they restart their lives. For Henley's sake, if no one else. 

Jack thinks she would be proud of them.


End file.
